[Roy.S]

Driving back to Bangalore from Chennai, I notice a sign just after the Palar bridge that says 'Delhi gate'.
Visions of a dilapidated structure overgrown with creepers and partly turned into an open air loo flash through my mind. 'Never mind', I think to myself.
I turn to my wife who's driving.
'Step on it for heavens sake, woman. I'm hungry, get me to a Sarvana Bhavan asap.'
I am quite famished. The tyres on the trucks we pass remind me of vadas. The black highway looks like a giant dosa griddle.
However, I get a nagging feeling that I might be missing something interesting.
'OK. Take an U-Turn', I tell my wife.
She gives me a dirty look with one eye, keeping the other on the road. I get the feeling that she is considering putting me on a bus and driving back by herself.
'This better be good', she mutters and turns around.
We drive off the highway on a narrow (but well surfaced) road along the dry Palar riverbed. A few km later we see it.

I took many pics and am attaching the first 3 below. Will upload the others as soon as I resize them down from 7.1 MP.

[Dry Ice]

For once I thought, what am I missing? Nice find nonetheless. Seems like it does attract visitors.

OT: I wonder if Mr.Karthik goes on writing his name on the walls of his own house as well!!

[StarVegabond]

Built in 1751, 258 years old, that makes it very historical
it seems to be in memory of Governor Robert Clive

[Roy.S]

Originally Posted by StarVegabond

it seems to be in memory of Governor Robert Clive

Actually it was part of the fortifications of Arcot. Clive defended the city during the battle of Arcot against a combined French-Indian assault by Raza Sahib's forces.
(Source: Wikipedia)

[Roy.S]

Originally Posted by Dry Ice

OT: I wonder if Mr.Karthik goes on writing his name on the walls of his own house as well!!

Well, Mr Rizwan too has left his mark upon history.Same monument - different vandal.
I have started to resize the images and will post them shortly.
Thanks for looking in guys! This is the first thread I've created and was afraid that no one would bother to check.

[Roy.S]

A closer view of the gate.


Remnants of fortifications visible beyond the gate. The trees and the gate seemed to be in the perfect position for a great shot. However, I was somewhat disappointed with the pic.


The Palar riverbed. By this time I could almost hear the roar of canons and the clash of swords.

[pjay_in]

Wow, a new find! I guess there are small pieces of history hidden away all over our country!

Didn't have a clue what it was, going by the title. Thanks for sharing the pics and info, Roy.S.

By the way I hope you got your dosas on the way (at Vellore perhaps)

[Roy.S]

Originally Posted by pjay_in

Wow, a new find! I guess there are small pieces of history hidden away all over our country!
Didn't have a clue what it was, going by the title. Thanks for sharing the pics and info, Roy.S.
By the way I hope you got your dosas on the way (at Vellore perhaps)

There are indeed small pieces of history dotted all along the countryside. Most of the time we do not notice them because of a lack of awareness and a peculiar bashfulness on the part of the ASI. The battle of Arcot was a significant historical event. I was not even aware of it till I visited the Delhi gate.
Of course, there are small, apologetic signs coming up on the highways indicating these monuments, but most times I am too caught up in just trying to get to my destination.
Another important monument is the Chitradurga fort at Chitradurga, 200km from Blr. I will try to chronicle that next time I pass that way.
And yes, I did finally get my dosas at Sarvana Bhavan in Vellore.

[straightdrive]

Originally Posted by Roy.S

There are indeed small pieces of history dotted all along the countryside....... The battle of Arcot was a significant historical event. I was not even aware of it till I visited the Delhi gate......

Good find and an interesting bit of history. I don't remember hearing of the battle of Arcot either - hearing Clive's name usually reminds me of the battle of Plassey, in Bengal.

The title of the thread was a surprise - the more well known Delhi Gate is a place/part of a fort in Lahore. Any idea how this place got its name?

[Roy.S]

Originally Posted by straightdrive

The title of the thread was a surprise - the more well known Delhi Gate is a place/part of a fort in Lahore. Any idea how this place got its name?

Actually, I have no idea. We did not find any other information boards around the place. I will try to research it.
A few more pics.

The gate hinges. I almost missed them as they were whitewashed over. A massive iron gate must have barricaded the entrance once.


Some of the sections were not restored/plastered. If you look at the cornice, you can see some of the old plaster. The exposed brickwork reveals the age of the structure. The workmanship is very good indeed.


From the Palar river side. The outside of the gate, so to speak. There were broken columns and chunks of masonry lying about. Not sure if they had collapsed because of age or been damaged by attackers. Perhaps, ages ago the river had breached its banks and inundated the fortifications.
In the absence of any information, one can only speculate.


The guard tower (I think) atop the gate. It was a really bright evening so the pics turned out somewhat contrasty.